Cotton cleaner



Dec. 14, 1948.

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Original Filed Oct. 20, 1944 Original Filed Oct. 20, 1944 Dec. 14, 1948.v w. F. SPEK I 6,

COTTON CLEANER 'N' is;

INVENTOR.

Jimmy/572cm 3 Sheets- Sheet 2 W. F. SPECZK COTTON CLEANER Dec. 14, 194s.

3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Original Filed Oct. 20, 1944 IN VEN TOR.

IL'IT Patented Dec. 14, 1948 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE COTTON CLEANERWilliam F. Speck, West Memphis, Ark. Original application October 20,1944, Serial No.

1946, Serial No. 673,397

This invention relates to new'and useful improvements in means forcleaning cotton, and

particularlyin cotton cleaners of portable type used in conjunction witha cotton harvester in which the cotton bolls are stripped from theplants and conveyed to the cleaning mechanism in which the cotton isseparated from bolls and trash and such detritus left in the field. Thisapplication is a division of my pending applicacotton may be separatedfrom the bolls and other trash, and delivered into a receptacle;

To provide means for breaking up the bolls and trash and for separatingthe cotton therefrom; and

To generally improve the design and construction of such a machine.

The means by which the foregoing and other objects are accomplished andthe manner of their accomplishment will be readily understood from thefollowing specification upon reference to the accompanying drawings, inwhich:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of my improved machine.

' Fig. 2 is a plan view, with portions of the housing of my cleaningapparatus shown broken away to reveal the details thereof.

Fig. 3'is a sectional elevation of the cleaner; I

and

' Fig. 4 a fragmentary sectional plan on an'enlarged scale, taken on theline IVIV of Fig. 3.

Referring now to the drawings in which the various parts are indicatedby numerals:

ii are members of a frame, carried by wheels E3, the frame preferablyhaving additional members i5 extending from one side thereof to form ahitch adapted to be coupled to a tractor or other source of motivepower, not here shown. Offset I from the hitch the frame carries thecleaning mechanism, here illustrated in its preferred form inconjunction with a harvester of the type described in co-pendingapplication Serial Number 559,515, of which this is a division.

The harvester mechanism, while shown here somewhat in detail, is, forthe purposes of this application, intended to be illustrative only. As

3 Claims. (CI. 19-36) larly spaced apart.

Divided and this application May 31.

IQ for receiving cotton plants, a second pair of plates-2| above andparallel to plates ii, and simi- These pairs of plates serve as housingfor chain belts 23, carrying fingers 25. The pairs of plates are furthershown as converging to form nose portions 2IA, shaped to present aV-shaped approach to slot i9. Mounted on nose portions 2 IA are verticalfeeder drums 21, each carrying a plurality of vertical blades 29. Thedrums are provided with appropriate driving means by which blades 29 maybe driven backward and along the edges of slot l9, which driving meansmay be coordinated with the speed of wheels I3, to effect timing of thespeed of the blades therewith in the manner described in myaforementioned application Serial Number 559,515.

As the machine is operated, it is driven with the harvester in positionto engage the cotton bolls. Means are provided for cutting or beatingthe bolls from the plants, here shown as strippers comprising knives 3icarried by heads 33 and being provided with appropriate driving means.

35 are the outer side walls housing the harvesting mechanism, andpreferably form a part of the housing for conveyor belts 31, which carryconveyor flights 39. The belts 31 at their upper ends pass around drumM, which is mounted on and driven by shaft 43, the conveyor belts beingpositioned and adapted to receive the bolls and cotton beaten or cutfrom the plants and to transfer them upwardly and rearwardly to atransversely disposed breaker drum 45.

The breaker drum 45 has a plurality of protruding spikes ii and ishoused in an open top arcuate housing 49 which spans transverselybetween the side walls 5! which are preferably alined with side walls35, and may be continuations thereof. The lower portion 49A of the drumhousing is an open mesh screen through which trash and broken up bollsmay readily pass. Breaker drum 45 is mounted on a shaft 53, preferablyjournalled in bearings carried by the side walls and driven through abelt 55 from the shaft 51 of an engine 59, preferably mounted on theoffset portion of the frame. Shaft 43' of'conveyor belt drum 4| isdriven through a cross-belt 6! from shaft 53 of the breaker drum.

Rearwardly of breaker drum 45 and below the level thereof are shreddersarranged one above the other, these shredders including drums 63 and 65each disposed transversely of the machine and having shafts journalledin bearings carried by sidewalls 5|. The drums carry spikes '51..preferably arranged in spiral flight (Fig.- 4)

These flights are oppositely pitched on the two drums, and serve notonly to break up the cotton delivered to them, but also to distribute ittransversely across the machine. The shredders are disposed in arcuatetroughs 99, H which are forwardly closed, but rearwardly open facing acarding belt I3 disposed in proximity to the spikes 91 of the drums andhaving its proximate flight upwardly driven. The upper trough 69 extendsfrom one side wall toward, but terminates short of, the other side wallto permit cotton shifted by drum 93 to drop into lower trough 1 i. Lowertrough 1| extends from the latter side wall and terminates for dischargeshort of the first side wall or otherwise discharges through an opening15 in that wall.

The carding belt 13 is a continuous belt carried at its upper and lowerends by transversely disposed belt drums 11, 19, which are mounted onshafts journalled in bearings carried by side walls i, the belt being ofwidth to extend substantially from side wall to side wall, andpreferably having upper drum 'II slightly rearward of lower drum 19 toestablish a minor rearward divergence of the belt from bottom to top,which accomplishes a desired slightly greater spacing of upper shredderdrum 93 from the belt than the spacing of lower shredder drum 95therefrom.

teeth of the carding belt, these drums being driven in oppositedirection to the direction of travel of the belt and serving to detachtrash carried upward with the lint.

Rearward of the carding belt is a brush com- .prising a drum 85, havingprojecting tufts of bristles 96. The combers, the upper end of thecarding belt and the brush are preferably enclosed by a cover 81 and thecasing for the carding belt completed by a transverse rear wall 89. Thelint detached by the brush is discharged through a spout 9| into suchreceptacle as may be provided therefor.

The shaft 51 of engine 59 carries a pair of pulleys 93, 94 whichrespectively drive the belt 55 through which the breaker drum 45 isdriven, and a cross belt 95 which drives a pulley 91 on the shaft ofupper drum ll. Also mounted on the same shaft adjacent pulley 91 is a"pulley 98 and at its opposite end a pulley 99. The combers ll, 82 arecoupled by a driving belt NH and both are driven by a belt I02 frompulley 98, belt I92 being here shown as overlying belt llli. The pulley99 of the upper carding drum 11, through a belt I93 drives a pulley M5on the shaft of lower drum I9, this shaft in turn being drivinglycoupled by a belt Hi! to shredder dr s 99, 95, these drums beingpreferably additio lly drivingly coupled by a belt I09. The brush 85 isdriven through a belt I i I from a suitable pulley on shaft 53 of thebreaker drum.

It will be understood that the belt drives here shown are illustrativeonly and that other types of drive may be substituted therefor.

In operation, the machine is advanced along a row of cotton, and thecotton and bolls removed from the plants. The cotton and bolls arecarried upwardly and rearwardly by conveyor flights 39 and dischargedonto breaker drum 45 which breaks up the bolls, twigs, and other trashand largely discharges them through screen. i

charging the partially cleaned cotton against carding belt 13 and ontoupper shredder drum 8! by which it is further broken up and traversedacross the face of the belt. discharging surplus and trash onto lowershredder drum 65, by which it is oppositely traversed and the trashdropped out at the end of underlying trough H through opening 15. Duringthese traversing movements, the belt teeth comb off the lint cotton andcarry it upward, this being so effectually done that only trash isdischarged through opening 15.

Cotton carried upward by the belt is combed by comber blades 83 and suchcotton as is dislodged with the trash descends along the face 01 thecarding belt and is eventually recaptured and again taken up. The cottonis eventually carried over upper drum "l1 and is dislodged from the beltby brush 95 and discharged through chute 9| into the receptableprovided.

I claim:

1. Cotton cleaning means including a spiked breaker drum, an open tophousing for said drum, said housing having a perforate bottom sectionfor escape of trash broken up by said drum and having a portionextending rearwardly from said perforate section to provide a dischargechute, shredder means disposed rearwardly of and lower than said breakerdrum to receivedischarge from said chute, said shredder means includinga pair of vertically alined superposed drums, having protruding spikesin oppositely pitched spiral flights, said shredder drums projectingrearwardly beyond the discharge end of said chute, and a housingrearwardly open enclosing the front and lower portions of said shredderdrums, said lower housing portions being open for discharge at oppositeends, an endless carding belt, carried by upper and lower pulleyspositioned and spaced apart to establish substantially upright beltflights, diverging rearwardly from the vertical alinement of saidshredder drum said belt being disposed rearward of said shredder drumswith its forward flight in substantially contacting adjacency to therearward spikes of the lower of said shredder drums and spacedrearwardly from the discharge end of said chute a distance in excess ofthe radius of said shredder drums to provide an unobstructed verticalpathway to the upper said shredder drum for material discharged fromsaid chute, said chute being positioned below the vertical mid point ofsaid belt, combing means comprising bladed drums, disposed in adjacencyto the upper end of said forward flight, a rotary brush disposed incontacting adjacency to the rear flight of said belt below the top ofsaid belt, and means for driving said breaker, said shredder drums, saidcombing drums, said carding belt and said brush, said driving meansbeing coordinated to drive said shredder drum spirals to traversematerials engaged thereby toward the opposite discharge openings oftheir said housings, and to drive the forward flight of said cardingbelt upward.

2. Cotton cleaning means including a spiked breaker drum, an open tophousing for said drum, said housing having a perforate bottom sectionfor escape of trash broken up by said drum and having a portionextending rearwardly from said perforate section to provide a dischargechute, a shredder drum disposed rearwardly of and lower than saidbreaker drum to receive discharge from said chute, said shredder drumprojecting rearwardly beyond the discharge end of said chute and havingprotruding spikes in a spiral flight, a housing rearwardly open,enclosing the front and lower portions of said shredder drum, said lowerportion being cut away for discharge at one end, an endless cardingbelt, carried by upper and lower pulleys, positioned and spaced apart toestablish substan tiaily upright flights, said belt being disposedrearward of said shredder drum with its forward flight in adjacency tosaid shredder drum and spaced rearwardly from the discharge end of saidchute a distance in excess of the radius of said shredder drum toprovide an unobstructed vertical pathway to said shredder drum formaterial discharged from said chute, a bladed combing drum, disposed inadjacency to the upper end of said forward flight, a rotary brushdisposed in contacting adjacency to the rear flight of said carding beltbelow the top of said belt, and means for driving said breaker, shredderand combing drums, said carding belt pulleysand said brush; said drivingmeans being coordinated to drive said shredder drum spiral to traversematerials engaged thereby toward the discharge opening of said housing,and to drive the forward flight of said carding belt upward. 1

3. Cotton cleaning means including rotary breaker means, an open tophousing for said breaker means, said housing having a perforatebottomsection for escape of trash and having a portion extendingrearwardly from said perforate section to provide a discharge chute,shredder means disposed rearwardly of and lower than said breaker meansto receive discharge from said chute, said shredder means projectingrearwardly beyond the discharge end of said chute and in-- cluding meansfor effecting shift of material Ion-- gitudinally, and housing meansrearwardly open enclosing the front and lower portions of said shreddermeans, and open for discharge at one end, an endless carding belt,carried by upper and lower pulleys, positioned and spaced apart toestablish substantially upright flights, said'belt being disposedrearward of said shredder means with its forward flight in adjacency tosaid shredder means and spaced from the discharge and of said chute toprovide an unobstructed vertical pathway from said chute to saidshredder means for material discharged from said chute, rotary combingmeans disposed in adjacency to the upper end of said forward flight, arotary brush disposed in contacting adjacency to the rear flight of saidbelt, and means for driving said breaker, combing and stripper means,said carding belt pulleys and said brush; said driving means beingcoordinated to drive said shredder means to traverse materials engagedthereby toward the discharge opening of said housing and the forwardnight of said carding belt upward.

WILLIAM F. SPECK.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Streun Mar. 11, 1930

